Part 25 (1/2)

Maddox's face was anxious, his eyes round and damp.

”No, sweetie. Only if he eats a lot of candy,” she rea.s.sured him.

”Oh, that's good. Cuz once I gave Brody some M&M's and I don't want him to die.”

Shay kissed the top of the young boy's head. ”Nothing you do is going to make Brody die.”

”Is he ever going to come see us again?” Maddox's voice was small and Shay's heart squeezed.

”I'm sure he'll come see you soon, Maddox. It's just been a crazy week for him, that's all.”

”But he said on TV that you're not his girlfriend anymore. That you never were. You were just helping him with his die beet ease.”

The squeezing spread throughout her body now. The commissioner of the NFL had held a press conference the day before saying the source of the blogger's information had been identified. It was Erik Hjelmstad, Brody's trainer. She and everyone else had been stunned to learn the trainer was being blackmailed by the blogger. The details of the blackmail weren't given, but Julianne had stopped by last night to reveal that Erik had apparently given a client HGH and that the blogger had the proof. While the ident.i.ty and purpose of the blogger were still a mystery, the snitch had finally been publically outed. And it wasn't her.

Brody's agent, Mr. Mathis, had followed the commissioner with a brief statement exonerating Shay. He told the media that the relations.h.i.+p between her and Brody was a professional one only. Their supposed romance was only a cover to keep his team from questioning him. Shay nearly lost her lunch when she heard that sound bite. Sadly, it rang true. Mr. Mathis also praised her abilities as a nutritionist saying it was her skills that had Brody in such fine condition.

It was likely the only apology she'd ever see from Brody. It was also the cleanest breakup she'd ever heard of.

”We're friends, Maddox. And I was helping him with diabetes. He's your friend, too. You'll see him again.” She made a mental note to ask Julianne if she'd bring Maddox to a game in the future.

”I hope so.”

Pathetically, Shay hoped to see Brody again, too. But she wasn't getting her hopes up.

”Come on, little buddy. It's my last day of studying forever. Why don't we make some brownies to help us get through it?”

”Yay!” Maddox cheered.

If Shay decided to write another dissertation, it would be about the healing powers of chocolate.

At two o'clock the following afternoon, Shay walked out of Johns Hopkins University with the piece of paper she'd worked four long years to get. Her dissertation defense had lasted nearly two hours. The room had been packed with her advisors, the faculty committee members, and her colleagues in the department, many of whom she'd taught undergraduates with. Thankfully, the department chair had banned all cell phones and cameras before the meeting began. Given her notoriety and the subject of her defense, it was understandable that a member of the media might sneak in.

”And to think, not a single person mentioned the fact that you'd achieved this honor at the ripe old age of twenty-four,” her advisor chuckled as they walked down the corridor to the entrance of the building. ”I'm proud of you, Shay. You're going to do great things. When you're financially able, you call my friend at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. They'd love to have you.”

”That's my dream job, Dr. Brahm. Hopefully, I'll be there soon.”

”If you change your mind about graduation, you let me know. You can always walk through next spring.” He held the door for her and the December wind whipped at her skirt.

”My family doesn't travel much with my father's illness, so I doubt it. But thank you for everything, sir. I really appreciate it.”

He gave her a fatherly hug. ”Well done, my dear. Now go out and be brilliant.”

She couldn't help but smile as she walked briskly to her car. Finally, it was over.

”Yay! Is that the great Dr. Everett I see?”

Julianne's voice startled Shay. Her friend was leaning up against the trunk of her car. Her mother-in-law, Annabeth, waved from the driver's seat of her Lexus, parked behind Shay.

”What are you doing here?”

”I'm kidnapping you!” Julianne clapped her hands in delight. ”You've just accomplished a major feat. It's time to celebrate.”

”But-”

”No buts. Your family is far away, so you have to celebrate with your Blaze family instead.”

The mention of the Blaze made her knees nearly buckle. ”I couldn't.”

”Yes, you can. It'll be easy,” Julianne said as she steered Shay around to open the car door. ”I'll ride with you, and Annabeth will follow in my car. All you have to do is relax and enjoy yourself.”

Shay slid into the driver's seat as Julianne sat on the pa.s.senger side of her little Corolla. ”Where are we going?”

”To the practice facility,” Julianne said, her tone matter-of-fact.

”No! I can't!” Shay's hands started to shake on the steering wheel.

Julianne covered one with one of her own. ”Yes you can, sweetie. Emma has been planning this for weeks. She's even gotten little Maddox involved. Please let us do this for you. Brody hasn't been cleared to practice with the team yet, so he won't be there. If he were, I would be tempted to poke his eyes out. Come, Shay. It'll be fun.”

Shay hated that her and Brody's disastrous relations.h.i.+p had come between him and Julianne. But a part of her was secretly glad the woman was still her friend. And she didn't want to let Emma down.

”Okay,” she said finally and Julianne blew the horn to alert Annabeth to move on.

Roscoe was meeting with the team management and physicians at four. The fact that Brody had been excluded from the meeting could only mean one thing: He was on the IR-or injured reserve-list. His agent had insisted he stay away from the meeting, but there was no way in h.e.l.l he was going to let them decide his future without him. Taking the steps two at a time, he charged up the stairs of the training facility toward Hank Osbourne's office.

”Brody!”

Maddox's squeal stopped him in his tracks. Glancing around, he realized he'd walked into the middle of a party of some sort. Silence fell over the room that was filled with his teammates, their wives, even his own sister. And Shannon. Standing regally among the well-wishers with a mortarboard trimmed out in Blaze colors propped jauntily on her head, she looked stunning in her fitted black suit and high-heeled boots.

Bridgett eyed him warily from across the room, but Julianne didn't bother to hide her displeasure. Marching through the crowd, she hissed at him. ”Go away!”

Maddox had a death grip on his leg. ”No! Brody don't leave. Shay is a doctor now. We were going to take her to dinner to celebrate. Remember?” The boy looked up at him with his puddle-brown eyes and a familiar squeezing began in Brody's chest.

s.h.i.+t, s.h.i.+t, s.h.i.+t! Today was the day Shannon was defending her dissertation. By the looks of everyone, it had gone well. He felt an enormous swell of pride for her. All her hard work had paid off. He'd never had any doubt that it would.

Maddox was telling the truth, he had planned to take her to a celebration dinner followed by a night of pampering at the Ritz-Carlton. But that was before. When they were still . . . whatever it was that they had been.

”It's okay, Julianne.” Shannon's mama would be proud of her perfect Southern manners.

Julianne gave him the evil eye she'd perfected fending off men in Italy before moving away. The rest of the guests began their chatter again, giving him and Shannon a modic.u.m of privacy.

”Congratulations.” Brody awkwardly moved forward to shake her hand or kiss her, he wasn't sure which, but her slight recoil had him jerking back.